“It’s hard to come forward but we want them to know there’s someone here for them.”

Nunavut Victims Services is run through the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Justice. The service is Iqaluit-based, but there are victim service workers in each community.

And the support those workers offer runs the gamut, from emotion support to helping clients fill out paperwork.

“Right from the beginning, if they need support at the hospital; if they need support having a rape kit done or addressing other physical injuries,” she said. “We advocate on behalf of the victims to have testing done for sexually-transmitted infections or pregnancy.”

Victim services workers will also help victims develop and implement a safety plan, Martinez said—helping victims and sometimes their children find appropriate accommodation, whether it’s settling back in at home or finding space in a shelter.

Later on, victims services will accompany clients through court proceedings or to prepare a victim impact statement.

Among the most common aggressions faced by Nunavummiut victims who seek support: sexual assault, family violence, child abuse, homicide and arson, Martinez said.

She did not have statistics on the number of clients Victims Services sees each year.

Nunatsiaq News reached out to Victim Services following a warning Nunavut RCMP sent out to women in Clyde River following the arrest of a Clyde River man alleged to have assaulted a local woman.